


This Uncertain Life

by LittleGoldfish



Category: Shall We Date?: Obey Me!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:01:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24352546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleGoldfish/pseuds/LittleGoldfish
Summary: Modern AU."How are you at keeping secrets?"
Relationships: Lucifer (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!)/Original Character(s)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 18





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've wanted to start this for a while. I hope you all like it! I'll update as often as I can, though I'm working on this and the final chapter of 'Privacy' simultaneously. Rated 'Explicit' for eventual smut.

Eliana sat at a small table in a local café browsing job listings on her ancient laptop and sipping an iced chai latte. It was a cool summer day, so most people were outside enjoying the weather, a fact that she was quite glad for. She liked the quiet, especially when she was trying to focus on something important. The current task at hand? Finding a job and an apartment by the end of the week so she didn’t become homeless. But that was proving more difficult than she’d initially thought. She found that every job she clicked on either wanted a ridiculous amount of working experience or a Bachelor’s degree; she had neither. After looking at the requirements for the millionth posting she’d opened today, she laid her forehead on the table, a small groan escaping her lips.

Eliana believed everything would be fine after she graduated community college. She had gotten accepted into a Bachelor’s program at a private university out of state and while she was there, she even got a part time job in the admission’s office for some extra cash. Life was perfect. But during her second to last semester, her mother became terminally ill. Because of this, it became difficult for her to concentrate in class and her grades began slipping. In just a few short weeks, her academic career had been ruined and she found herself moving back home to become the primary caregiver for her only surviving relative. A few months, and countless doctors’ appointments and experimental treatments later, her mother passed away, leaving nothing but debt in her wake. Now, Eliana only had another week in her childhood home before it was repossessed by the bank.

“Miss, are you alright?”

She lifted her head from the table slowly, her gaze settling on the man in front of her. He was good-looking and very well-dressed, his outfit and professional demeanor offset only by his mop of dark green hair fringed with electric blue. A sad smile graced his features as he observed her. “Yes, I’m okay. Thank you.”

He cocked his head to the side, his eyes unreadable. “If you’re okay, then why were you just sobbing in the middle of a coffee shop?”

“I wasn’t-” She reached up and touched her cheek, her fingers coming away wet. She was so deep in her own wallowing; she must have been crying and didn’t even realize it. A blush spread across her face, and she scrambled to find a napkin to wipe her eyes.

“Here,” he said soothingly, holding out a handkerchief. She took it while murmuring her thanks and patted her face dry. She watched his eyes move to her computer screen, his sad expression morphing into something close to surprise. “Are you looking for a job?”

“Yeah,” Eliana replied softly, “It’s…a lot harder to find one than I thought it would be. I’m losing my mom’s house and have nowhere to go. So, I need to find somewhere to work by the end of the week so I can afford a place to stay.” She clamped her hand over her mouth quickly, unsure why she felt comfortable enough around this stranger to tell him so many personal details about herself.

He chuckled. “It’s okay. I promise not to tell anyone,” his sharp, green eyes surveyed her for a moment before continuing, “But if you’re serious about finding a job, meet me back here tomorrow afternoon around two. I’m doing some hiring for my employer.” He looked at his watch, his eyebrows raised. “I unfortunately can’t tell you much about it now because I’m running **very** late for work, but hopefully I will see you tomorrow.” Turning on his heel, he strode out the door, leaving Eliana very confused but also a lot more hopeful than she had been in days.

She realized a few moments later that his handkerchief was still clutched in her fist. _I’ll wash it tonight and bring it back for him tomorrow_ , she vowed. Leaning back in her chair, she studied the piece of fabric. It was a simple off-white color with a blue ‘B’ embroidered in the corner. She didn’t know who this ‘B’ was, but he had made her day a whole lot better in just a few short minutes. Hopefully he wasn’t going to ask her to do anything shady. Not that she’d be entirely opposed. She really needed the money.

\--------------------------------------------------------------

When Eliana woke the next day, she felt refreshed. Maybe it was from the potential job opportunity or maybe it was from having a conversation with someone who wasn’t herself for once, but she felt optimistic in a way she hadn’t in weeks. After making herself a late breakfast, she tried to put together an interview outfit from her current wardrobe. She hadn’t spent money on any frivolous purchases for months, trying to scrape together as much money as she could for a security deposit on a future apartment. Most of her clothing was outdated, remnants of her pre-college days when she was trying to get any job she could find. Not that much had changed in that department.

What had changed, however, was her body. In high school, she was never skinny but she was much smaller than she was now. The years and her recent stressors had not been kind to her figure and she had filled out more than she was comfortable with; her stomach was no longer flat, her thighs now betrayed her by chafing when she wore a skirt for a long period of time, and her butt was considerably large. She tried hard not to study herself in the mirror while searching for clothes in her underwear, knowing it would dampen her mood. She was one self-esteem issue away from not going to the café at all and instead, crawling back under her covers with her laptop to watch Netflix. She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. _I have to face myself anyway, to make sure these clothes fit. Don’t fuck up your good mood, Eli. Don’t do it_ , she scolded herself.

Digging through her closet, she found some promising pieces and laid them out on the bed. She began carefully trying things on, disappointed with how much didn’t fit. She really needed to buy new clothes. _Maybe if this interview doesn’t pan out, I’ll spend a little of my savings to get some **real** interview outfits._ She finally settled on a stretchy, black pencil skirt and a soft, neutral colored t-shirt. It was **very** basic, but it was all she had, so it would do for now. After tucking the newly laundered handkerchief into her purse and slipping on some flats, she was out the door.

She got to the café with time to spare, so she treated herself to an iced coffee and a blueberry muffin, commandeering a small table right in the big bay window at the front of the shop. She told herself it was because she wanted to see what kind of car he drove or if he worked close enough to walk; but in the back of her mind, she just wanted him to be able to see her immediately and be impressed at how timely she was…or that she had shown up at all.

When he did arrive, it was two o’clock on the dot. And he didn’t walk or drive; he was **driven.** In a nondescript black town car with tinted windows. _Fancy_ , Eliana thought, nodding to him as he walked in. He strode over to her, dropping his small briefcase on the chair.

“Do you mind if I grab a drink,” he asked, gesturing to the short line behind the counter.

“Not at all,” she replied. He gave her a quick smile and took his place in line, waiting patiently. Her nervousness settled in her belly, fluttering around as her heart hammered in her ribcage. _What if I’m not qualified enough? What if he thinks I don’t look professional enough? What if he thinks I’m too dumb? Or too emotional? Or too gross? What if-_

She was pulled from her doubts by a low snicker. “The second time I’ve caught you so deep in thought that you didn’t even notice I was here.” He returned, removing his briefcase from the chair opposite her to set it on the floor, his eyes never leaving her face.

Eliana smirked. “At least I’m not crying this time, right?”

He laughed, leaning back in his chair to get more comfortable. “A good thing too, or you’d give me a complex.” He folded his hands in his lap, his disposition changing from lighthearted to professional instantaneously. “Now, about this job. I was hired by my employer to locate an additional housekeeper. He requires no previous experience in housekeeping, just the ability to learn and be efficient. I trust you can do that, right…uhm…sorry, I don’t believe we’ve exchanged names.”

“Eliana, though if you’d like to call me Eli, that’s okay too. And yes, I learn extremely quickly and since I was my mother’s primary caretaker before she passed, I had to do all of our housework alone.”

“Nice to meet you Eli, you can call me B.”

“What’s the ‘B’ short for, if you don’t mind me asking?”

He became visibly uncomfortable, avoiding her stare while shifting in his seat. “I’d….rather not disclose that at the immediate moment. Just know that you’ll find out in due time, should I decide to hire you.”

Eliana blinked. “O…kay. So this is a maid job. What are the hours?”

Relieved to be back on track, B cleared his throat. “Your hours would be Monday through Friday, seven in the morning until 4 in the afternoon with an hour break for lunch. My employer would provide paid time off, sick leave, and housing as well.”

“Housing?!”

“Yes. All of our housekeepers are live-in, just in case we have an emergency mess which, I won’t lie, happens fairly often given the occupants of the household and their…eclectic natures.”

She was practically vibrating with excitement now; the thought of having a place to sleep at night while also having a paying job was a phenomenal prospect. “How many people live in the house?”

“Seven. Plus the three housekeepers on staff and myself. So eleven all together.”

“Wow. How big is this place?”

“Fairly large.” B grinned widely, unable to keep her infectious enthusiasm from affecting him. “I think you’d like it. Tell me, what previous work experience do you have?”

“Well, I worked a couple odd jobs in restaurants as a teenager, and then when I was in college, I worked in the admissions office doing paperwork and filing forms.”

“What did you go to college for?”

“Biology with a concentration on human health and disease. I wanted to research diseases and how they spread but obviously never got that far.”

“So you didn’t graduate.” He looked thoughtful. “What made you leave?”

“My mom. She got sick and we don’t have any family so, I prioritized her. My grades were slipping anyway.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. You’re a good person for doing that. I take it, then, that you have some basic knowledge of first aid as well?”

She was surprised at the question. _Why would he need to know that?_ “Y-yeah. A little bit. I had to take anatomy courses and I did take a few workshops that taught some first aid. That was before I decided on my concentration though. I initially thought I wanted to be a doctor.”

“Interesting…” B’s face was almost indecipherable but there was a hint of curiosity in his voice. “One last question. How are you at keeping secrets?”

“Uhm…good, I guess? I don’t have many friends and those that I do have don’t live locally, so I rarely talk to them.” _What a weird thing to ask_.

“Wonderful. You’re hired.”

The shock on her face was visible. “J-just like that?”

“Just like that,” he echoed. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card. Like the handkerchief, it was plain; blank the front and only a phone number on the back. “Finish up what you need to with your mother’s house. Pack your things. Call me once you’re finished. Someone will come to pick up you and your belongings. Once you’re officially moved in, we’ll give you an address to have your mail sent to. Welcome to the team.” He shook her hand and stood, grabbing his briefcase to leave.

“Oh! B! Here.” She reached into her purse to pull out the handkerchief. “I washed it.”

He grinned, taking it from her outstretched hand. “Thank you, Eli. I had completely forgotten. See you soon.” With a nod, he left.

Eliana watched him get into the same car when it pulled up to the sidewalk, as if on cue. _What an odd conversation_ , she thought wryly, sipping her coffee. _What an odd man! He didn’t even open his briefcase at all. I just hope that “housekeeper” isn’t code for something else. Why would a maid need to keep secrets?_


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another set up chapter. I promise that we'll meet some of our beloved boys in the next one. :)

After managing to squeeze all of her life into two small suitcases and a generously sized backpack, Eli waited on the curb for a car she was hoping would actually show up. It took her days to gain the courage to call the number on the card and once she did, she was told to wait outside at noon the next day and someone would be by to pick her up. She waited until morning to pack (since she didn’t have too much) and stepped hesitantly out the door ten minutes before the arrival time.

At 12 on the dot, a similar car to the one that transported B to and from the café a few days prior, turned the corner. The driver was a sweet, middle aged man who helped her lift her things into the trunk before holding open the back door for her. She slid into the seat, the door swinging closed behind her with a heavy thud. As they drove away, she looked back at the only home she’d ever known, watching until it vanished from sight. Letting her head rest against the cool leather of the seat, she tried not to cry. Leaving home was one thing. Leaving it permanently for a great unknown was another. _What am I even thinking, doing whatever this is_ , she asked herself. _I don’t even know where we’re going or who I’m working for._ There were so many twists in the road and so many turns that they took, she closed her eyes for fear of getting carsick. _Great, now I really don’t know where we’re going. So even if this **is** a scam and they **are** going to traffick me, I have even less of an idea of what direction to go even if I could get away._

The car began to slow, so Eli opened her eyes again. They had to be in the middle of nowhere. There was absolutely nothing around. No paved driveways, no road signs, no gas stations. Just trees, grass, and the dirt road they were driving on. The road seemed to stretch on for miles before it opened up to a large field of the greenest grass she’d ever seen; and at the end of the long road, a single house that looked like it had been plucked from the pages of a Grimm’s fairytale. It was an old Victorian home, painted entirely black and grey, with the exception of a large, red front door. She had the brief thought that if this really **was** a fairytale; this would be the house placed over the gates of Hell. And yet despite that, for some reason just looking at the house comforted her. Maybe it was all of the lush greenery that surrounded it, or maybe it was that it didn’t seem like a destination that someone took people to that they were planning on trafficking; but whatever it was made her feel like this was all going to be okay.

The car rolled to a stop in front of the steps leading to that massive, blood red door. The driver got out, once again holding her door open before stepping around to the trunk to grab her bags. She caught herself staring at the door as B sauntered out of the house toward her. “Hello, Eli. I trust your journey was alright,” he asked, holding out his hand.

She shook it nervously, trying not to tremble too much as he eyed her. “Yes, it was fine, thank you. Though, there were so many turns, I couldn’t keep track of where we going!” She chuckled; her voice full of apprehension.

B smiled, though this particular smile never reached his eyes. There was something peculiar in his voice when he responded, “Unfortunately necessary, my dear.”

Eli swallowed hard.

“Let me show you to your room. Then we’ll do a quick run-down of your duties before I leave you to unpack and get settled in.” His normal, jovial but formal tone returned almost immediately. It worried Eli a bit, but she chose to push her thoughts aside for now. _No room to notice red flags when you have nowhere to go_ , she thought.

He led her around the back the house to a smaller, but still generously sized guest house. “You and the two other housekeepers live here.” The front door opened into a well-lit kitchen with a small table. “Here is the communal kitchenette area, meaning there is no oven or stovetop, but there is a portable single burner, toaster oven, microwave, sink, and refrigerator with plenty of cabinet space for your own food and dishes. The chefs prepare breakfast, lunch, and dinner, which you are more than welcome to partake in. Breakfast and dinner are both delivered to this kitchen here and lunch is served in the main house. Though if you prefer to come back here to make yourself something, you can do that too. Also, you are more than welcome to use the full oven and stovetop in the main house if you’d like, as long as the chefs approve of your use. But there may be some…unwelcome advances toward your food from one of the residents.”

She moved to ask what that meant but stopped herself.

B saw the unasked question on her face and laughed. “I just mean that there’s someone living in that house who really loves food. And he eats a **lot** of it. So don’t be surprised if he tries to snatch some from you while you aren’t looking.”

“Oh. Well, I don’t mind sharing. I tend to make way more than I eat myself anyway.” She grinned.

“Well, don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He shrugged, turning to lead her down a short hall. “Your room is at the very end. The first room belongs to Beatrice, a charming lady who’s quite a bit older, but still does her job well and gets along with everyone. The second one belongs to a woman about your age named Eleanor. She’s pretty quiet and stays out of the way but is also an extremely pleasant person. And here’s your room! It’s right across from the bathroom, but the walls are thick enough that it shouldn’t be an issue for you.”

Eli couldn’t help but gape when he swung open the door. Her room was enormous and had two full sized windows with clean, hardwood floors. It was so much larger than her room at home and made her old dorm room look like a closet. She even had a queen-sized bed all to herself! She placed her bags in the middle of the room and turned back to look at B, visibly excited. “Can I decorate however I’d like?”

“Yes, as long as you don’t paint the walls. I’m not worried so much about screwing shelves into the walls or tacking up posters, but it’s a long process to get the walls back to white, so I’d rather not need to go through that.”

“Is there a place locally where I can pick out some décor once I’ve figured out what I’d like to do?”

“As you could probably figure out from the ride here, there’s absolutely nothing around us. But every Saturday, if anyone needs to go into town, they let me know and I’ll arrange a driver for them. You’ll either need to go in pairs or I’ll arrange a chaperone for you.”

“Why a chaperone?”

“Just a precautionary measure set by the head of the house.”

“Who’s the head of the house?”

B scrutinized her for a moment before replying indifferently. “I’m sure you’ll meet him soon. He likes to observe new staff from a distance first before formally introducing himself. Anyway,” he nodded to the door, “We should get going. I’ll walk you around the house and explain more about your duties, then you can come back here and get unpacked.”

Eli nodded before following B out of the guest house, her thoughts still stuck on what kind of person the head of house was, especially if he thought that a grown woman needed a chaperone to leave.

\---------------------------------------------------------------

When she finally returned, she was pleased to see two other women seated in the kitchen, eating their dinner while chatting happily. When she shut the door behind her, she turned around to see them studying at her. She raised a hand in greeting. “Hi. I’m Eliana. Call me Eli, if you don’t mind. I’m the new housekeeper.”

The older of the two spoke up, her voice cheery. “I’m Bea and this is Nora. It’s so nice to meet you, Eli. Why don’t you sit down and have dinner with us?”

“I’d love to.” Eli pulled up a seat between them, diving into the plate that had been offered. She hadn’t eaten all day, so she was **ravenous**.

Bea chortled, her dark curls bouncing. “I haven’t seen anyone eat like that other than Master Beel.”

Eli paused, looking at her quizzically. “Master…Beel?”

“Oh, yes. One of the seven Masters that live here. He’s always hungry and eats like a fiend, that one. Lord help you if you ever make anything in that kitchen. He’ll make off with half of it before you realize it’s gone.”

_That must have been who B was talking about earlier._ “Beel is an…odd name. Come to think of it, B wouldn’t even give me his full name. I wonder why that is…” Eli was mostly muttering to herself, but when she looked up from her dinner, she noticed that both Bea and Nora were visibly distressed. “What?”

Nora leaned in, voice no more than whisper, her blue eyes narrowed, “No one knows what their real names are. They all have code names.”

“Code...names?”

“Yeah. Just…trust me when I say you should just go with the flow and not ask too many questions. You’ll learn everything before long. Or Bea and I will tell you when you’re ready to hear it all.”

Eli laughed loudly. “When I’m- This has **got** to be a joke, right? You guys are playing a trick with the newbie?”

Bea shook her head, leaning over to place her hand on Eli’s. “Darling girl, listen to me when I say this to you. There is a reason they chose all of us to be here. I’m gonna run through the list, and you tell me if I’m wrong.” She squeezed her hand gently. “We were all in a tight spot and wanted or needed to get out of our living situation. We all have no friends or family. And we were all desperate enough for a job that we trusted a man we had just met to give us one. At the end of that day, we all got in that black car with the tinted windows and let them drive us out to the middle of nowhere. I’m sure you thought, ‘I hope I’m actually going to a job.’ Let me tell you, both of us also thought that initially, but at the end of the day, this opportunity was all we had. So we had no choice but to believe that B wasn’t leading us astray. Even if you hear everything now and decide that you want to leave, I guarantee there’s no life for you to go back to. Am I right?”

Eli could feel her heart sink in her chest. Bea was right. Everything had seemed wonderful, but that’s because she hadn’t been looking at the whole picture. She was just desperate enough to be here. And there was nowhere for her to be **other** than here. B had noticed and preyed on that. Tears prickled at the corners of her eyes. “So are we just prisoners here?”

Bea squeezed her hand again. “No, dear. Thankfully we aren’t. But trust me when I say you aren’t ready to hear everything yet. You will in due time. And when you hear it, it won’t be the end of the world. But you’ll need to meet everyone before you know the whole truth. The people who live here are good to us. They pay us well, feed us well, and treat us even better. So you need to experience that first. The good before the bad, you know?”

“The bad?”

Nora nodded. “It’ll be okay. We both felt this way too.”

After dinner was cleaned up and some lighthearted conversation was had, Eli went to her room to unpack. She was anxious. She was confused. And she was a little scared.

While putting her clothes away, she stared out one of her windows in the direction of the main house. Everything was dark, save for one solitary light coming from a window on the top floor. She could just make out a figure facing her, seated behind what was probably a desk. She found herself wondering who it was, if they were doing work, and what type of work they did. Though apparently it was best for her not to know. Sighing, she turned away from the window and hopped into bed, remembering to set the alarm on her phone. She slept restlessly that night, dreaming of shadows with deep voices and damp holes in the ground.


End file.
